General Electric F101

F101
	A General Electric F101 engine
Type	Augmented High Bypass Turbofan engine
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	General Electric
First run	early 1970s
Major applications	Rockwell B-1 Lancer
Developed into	General Electric F110 ; CFM International CFM56

The General Electric F101 is an afterburning turbofan jet engine. It powers the Rockwell B-1 Lancer strategic bomber fleet of the USAF. In full afterburner it produces a thrust of more than 30,000 pounds-force (130 kN). The F101 was GE's first turbofan with an afterburner.^[1]

Development

The F101 was developed specifically for the Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft, which became the B-1A. The F101 powered the four development aircraft from 1970 to 1981. The B-1A was officially cancelled in 1977. However the flight test program continued. General Electric was awarded a contract to further develop the F101-102 engine variant. This turbofan eventually powered the B-1B from 1984, entering service in 1986. The B-1's four F101 engines helped the aircraft win 61 world records for speed, time-to-climb, payload and range.

The GE F110 turbofan fighter jet engine is a derivative of the F101, designed using data from the F101-powered variant of the F-16 Fighting Falcon tested in the early 1980s.^[2]^[3] The F101 also became the basis for the highly successful CFM56 series of civil turbofans.

Applications

Specifications (F101-GE-102)

Data from ^[4]

General characteristics

Type: Turbofan engine
Length: 181 in (460 cm)
Diameter: 55 in (140 cm)
Dry weight: 4,400 lb (2,000 kg)

Components

Compressor: Axial flow, 2 stage fan, 9 stage HP compressor
Combustors: Annular ring
Turbine: 1 stage HP turbine, 2 stage LP turbine

Performance

Maximum thrust: 17,390 lbf (77.4 kN) (dry), 30,780 lbf (136.9 kN) (with afterburner)
Overall pressure ratio: 26.8:1
Specific fuel consumption: 0.562 lb/lbf/h (57.3 kg/kN/h) (dry thrust),
2.46 lb/lbf/h (251 kg/kN/h) (with afterburner)
Thrust-to-weight ratio: 7.04:1 (afterburner)

References

^ GE's F101 web page Archived 2011-02-11 at the Wayback Machine
^ Dabney, Thomas R.; Hirschberg, Michael J. (13–15 July 1998). "Engine wars – Competition for U.S. fighter engine production". 34th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit. Cleveland, Ohio.
^ "F-16/101: Derivative Fighter Engine". F-16.net. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
^ Gas Turbine Engines. Aviation Week & Space Technology 2009 Source Book. p. 118.

External links

[1] GE's F101 web page Archived 2011-02-11 at the Wayback Machine

[2] Dabney, Thomas R.; Hirschberg, Michael J. (13–15 July 1998). "Engine wars – Competition for U.S. fighter engine production". 34th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit. Cleveland, Ohio.

[3] "F-16/101: Derivative Fighter Engine". F-16.net. Retrieved 24 May 2008.

[4] Gas Turbine Engines. Aviation Week & Space Technology 2009 Source Book. p. 118.

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